Welcome to my photography site!

My name is Maura van der Linden and I have a passion for storytelling. Though this passion first showed itself on pen and paper (or at least on screen and keyboard), I took up photography so I could try to tell stories in a different way. I'm a technical writer and freelance editor during the day, so it's a pleasure and a challenge to turn to a medium that doesn't use words at all.

I'm a relatively new photographer based near Woodinville, Washington and am focused on learning my new art at the moment, though I do take a limited number of local assignments since I learn extremely well on the fly.

I'll use this blog to showcase my work as I learn and to give my experiences as a self-taught photographer who is not doing this as my main job.

Review: CreativeLive

I don’t remember how I first stumbled across CreativeLive but I think it was through LaRae Lobdell and PhotoSister, most likely through Twitter. I’m really glad I did discover them, though.

CreativeLive has made a business model of offering free online classes on a periodic basis (maybe monthly), via streaming media, by respected and known experts in various types of photography, Design and Technology. The class is free while it’s live streaming and you can buy class downloads for viewing after the class is over. The course list seems to be growing rapidly and you can see the entire course list here.

As I write this, I am just finishing attending my first CreativeLive class – Zach Arias teaching Foundations of a Working Photographer. Zach specializes in portrait and band photography which are nothing I tend to do but, even with that, I’ve learned quite a few tips already that have made sitting in front of the computer worthwhile. Tips on lenses and depths of field. Tips on lighting and positioning. A new mantra — “head in a clean spot” to live by!

The quality of streaming video was terrific for me, though I did see reports of outages in some places which the staff were racing to try to address (it wasn’t them, it was internet outages, it seems). The audio was well done and the production quality was quite high. There could be some refinements made on things like tethered shooting and maybe a good use of picture in picture for those instances where the camera was watching the instructor but the instructor was watching something we could not see. There was a LOT of content to watch – so much so that I’m buying the recorded version to go through again later. Just too much to process in one sitting and there are HOURS of it.

CreativeLive supports the class with two live chatrooms, including one you can use to ask questions of the instructors (via relay from the moderators). There are some great forums on their site as well. CreativeLive and their staff are active on Twitter and Facebook and you can create an account on the CreativeLive site, register for classes and get reminders of when they will occur.

This is a terrific resource and I hope you check it out. There are sponsors who both help keep it free for us to watch live and who offer giveaways during the class. There are terrific hosts, moderators, techs, editors, webmasters putting this resource together. I’d like to see it continue and the more people that know about it, the better.

Great review, I too wish to spread the word as I have attended 4 classes now and purchased 4 for viewing again and again. It is great to learn more foundations to backup the years of trial and error. Every time I sit in on a session I do not intend to purchase the course for later viewing, but I have yet to sit through a session that I didn’t purchase.ReplyCancel

Maura you are so sweet! Thanks for always keeping in touch and spreading the good news about creativeLIVE. I’ll be on co-chat hosting this weekend with Sue Bryce and would love to see you in the chat rooms. 🙂ReplyCancel